If you know anything about pro wrestling, you’ll know that for the last 10 years or so, TNA have been growing at a rapid pace. The stable of fighters reads like a ‘who’s who’ in the world of pro wrestling. Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Sting are regulars, and the promotion seems to be just getting started having announced live television tapings in the USA and UK.
Dixie Carter is the president of Total Non-stop Action, the pro wrestling company that is giving WWE a run for its money. I caught up with her in London during a whirlwind trip to promote TNA’s series of television tapings in the USA and England.
So what kinds of things do you look for in a wrestler?
It’s not one thing in particular. Sometimes a great physique is very important and then sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s the athletic ability that matters. It has to be that great combination of character and personality. I think some of the biggest names in the history of our business have looked incredible and had great personalities. They may not have been the greatest wrestlers.
Then there are some truly talented wrestlers who couldn’t get to where they needed to be because of a lack of personality. So you have to have a combination of all those things.
When you think about a great wrestling match, what do you like to see?
I love the physicality. I love people who give it their all, and seeing the unique moves that represent them. I also love a match that tells a story. It’s almost like a dance. They don’t have to say a word to tell the story. It’s a really special gift.
Do you have a favorite style of wrestling?
That would be a great X-Division match (the lighter high flying style). I’m also a big tag team fan. We’ve had some of the best tag teams in the history of the wrestling business. You can watch a Kurt Angle or an A J Styles match for an hour and it doesn’t get old, because they are so amazing. It is truly an art form.
Who would you say is the most legitimately tough wrestler?
I would say Hernandez is the strongest man on our roster. I’d probably have to say that Kurt Angle is the toughest. Just because of the crap I’ve seen him live through, and do. It’s not a made up moniker like where he’s a cyborg or he’s sub human, but it’s just that it’s him, and he’s unbelievably tough.
